Curbside trash collection to start June 1 on the Reservation

Observer Staff

7/5/2005 12:00:00 AM

After several years of careful deliberation and contract negotiations, the Tribal Council recently approved a change in the way trash is to be collected and handled in the Tribal community.

Beginning June 1, the community open dumpster system the Tribe has used for years will be a thing of the past. In its place, residents of the community will be treated to a more convenient way of disposing of the weekly trash generated by each household. The Tribe will institute a curbside collection program for each of the households in the community currently leasing a residential site from the Tribe. Waste Management, Inc., the contractor awarded the bid for trash pick up, will be distributing 96-gallon plastic wheeled containers to each residence. Once per week, each household will have its container emptied by the contractor in front of their home, much like it is done in communities across the state and the country, including the city of Mt. Pleasant and the villages of Shepherd and Rosebush.

The homeowner simply fills the container with household refuse during the week and wheels it to the curb in front of their home on pick up day. Once emptied, the container can then be wheeled back to the home to be filled up again for the next week's pick up.

The reason for the change should be obvious to anyone driving through the community in recent years. The dumpster system which served the community well for so many years was simply not working as the Tribe has experienced rapid growth in recent years. More residents mean more trash, which means more frequent pick ups and more dumpster locations. While having a dumpster located near your house may be convenient, the negative factors of traffic, odor and blowing debris more than make up for that convenience. Combine that with the fact that many non-member individuals from outside the community have been using the Tribe's dumpsters to dispose of their trash for free (actually the Tribe pays for that cost as well), created a situation that required a new approach.

Many residents, including those who have recently built new homes in the community, have asked for a better solution to the household trash generation problem. While other options were considered, none proved to be as convenient for members, as clean, or as cost effective for the Tribe as the curbside collection option. In addition, some of the options would not prove to be a deterrent to those non-members that chose to use the Tribe as their own private dumping ground.

Most dumpsters will be removed by the June 1 start date. Those that remain will be exclusively for Tribal business use. After June 1, collection day for residential curbside service will be each Wednesday and residents will be responsible for having their container at the curb prior to 6 a.m. of that day. No collection of refuse will be made on the holidays of New Years' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. When the holiday falls on or before the regular collection day, refuse will be collected one day later on Thursday. In addition, one large or bulky household item per week will be allowed per resident.

Future plans for the program include a three-month review to determine the feasibility of expanding the service to members living outside the Tribal community. In order to ease the transition from an open dumpster system to curbside collection, the program will initially serve only the Tribal community as previously described. This will allow residents time to adjust to the new system and to deal with any problems initially encountered. After this trial period, the Tribal Council will evaluate the program, consider any concerns which may have arisen and then consider expanding the service to a larger area. Members currently living in communities with a curbside collection contract (such as the city of Mt. Pleasant) would not be eligible for any expanded Tribal program because of the contract requirements between the waste hauler and the community.

In addition, the Tribe recently provided 2 percent funds to Isabella County to expand their recycling program to include curbside collection of recyclables. It is anticipated that this service will be available to additional areas within Isabella County, including the Tribal community, at some point in the near future. While independent of the Tribe's effort to provide curbside trash pick up for members, by learning to recycle more, residents can reduce the frequency and amount of material which is set out at the curb on a weekly basis. This not only reduces the amount of trash placed in landfills and therefore helps to protect our natural resources, but it can have an impact on what is spent each month on trash pick up.

Questions regarding the upcoming change in garbage disposal in the Tribal community can find out more by calling the Planning Department at (989) 775-4013 or (989) 775-4151.